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Technical Advanced Placement (TAP)
Technical Advanced Placement (TAP) agreements allow students who have successfully completed certain designated courses at secondary schools, whether high school, an academy, or a charter school, to receive college credit for courses required for graduation from a specific technology-based program at HGTC. Credits awarded through a TAP agreement can only be used in specifically identified technology-based programs at HGTC, which require the identified course for graduation. The TAP process of awarding college credit is based on a negotiated agreement between a secondary school and the specific academic department with authority over the course and related academic program. The concept is based on the student with TAP credit, who has mastered the skills and knowledge through a secondary school course, having a higher level of knowledge and skill than entry-level.
Technologies offered through AAS, diploma, or certificate at HGTC are based on skills and knowledge needed for a successful job placement (i.e., employment in the field and effectiveness in the position). These skills and knowledge for successful placement are identified and integrated into each AAS, diploma, and certificate at HGTC. Skills and knowledge are known as Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). Each technology course required for graduation from either an AAS, a diploma, or a certificate has specifically identified skills and knowledge called Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). These SLOs contribute to the overall program-level skills and knowledge identified in the PLOs. The student to be awarded credit for a TAP course based on an agreement, the student must demonstrate the acquisition of identified skills and knowledge (SLOs) through an examination or assessment process based on the SLOs.
The content of a course offered at secondary school, which is a part of the TAP agreement, must match the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) of the course offered in either AAS, diploma, or certificate at HGTC. Therefore, the skills and knowledge provided in a secondary school course must be comparable to the entry-level technology course specifically identified in the TAP agreement with HGTC. Courses identified in the TAP agreement will be recognized as experiential/exemption credit based on the criteria for acceptance detailed in the TAP agreement. The SLOs required in core technology courses are determined by the HGTC faculty, who are the content experts in the technology, program, and academic department offering the core course. The PLOs are based on skills and knowledge identified through the input of professional resources such as program advisory committees and business-industry partners.
A TAP agreement is designed to eliminate duplication of course content between identified secondary school courses and technology courses offered at HGTC. Secondary school students, who have taken courses during the 11th or 12th year that are specifically identified in a TAP agreement between their secondary school and HGTC, may request experiential/exemption credit based on the course. A secondary school graduate with a course or courses identified in a TAP agreement must apply, be accepted, enroll, and pay tuition at HGTC within two (2) years of successfully completing the identified course to be awarded experiential/exemption credit under a TAP agreement. The student is responsible for requesting the TAP credit by submitting the required documents in a timely fashion after paid enrollment. The maximum number of credits accepted is 15 semester hours; however, the actual number of credit hours that apply to a technology degree, diploma, or certificate will be awarded consistent with college policies and procedures. Credit under a TAP agreement can be requested after the student has applied and been accepted at HGTC.
To begin the process for requesting TAP experiential/exemption credit, the student must submit a signed Teacher’s Recommendation Form. Credit hours awarded through a TAP course can only be applied to the technology with an active TAP agreement that includes the course.